Adjustable can-handler.



L. 0. WALDO.

ADJUSTABLE CAN HANDLER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY Ir. 1-917.

1 ,288,770. Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

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INVENTOR. Lucius O.Wa Ido.

A TTORNE Y LUCIUS 0. WALDO, 0F BELLING-HAM, WASHINGTON.

ADJUSTABLE CAN-HANDLER.

Application filed July 17, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUoIUs O. -WALno, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bellingham, in the county of Whatcom and State ofWVashington, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Can-Handler, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to adjustable can handling devices used by cannersof food products, and the object of my invention is to provide a h andimplement of strong, light and simple construction with which anoperative may quickly remove a number of cans at once from the rollerchain of a can lacquering machine, where they are in open order, withoutsoiling the soft lacquer, and retract the device to put the cans inclose order and place them in a case or other receptacle; also which maybe used to remove cans from cases, or other place where they are inregular order, and deposit them en bloc in another location.

I attain this object bythe mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingsheet of drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my device whenprotracted, Fig. 2 is an end elevation view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a sideelevation view of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a side elevation view in section onthe line bb of Fig. 5 of some of the conveyer rollers of a canlacquering machine, Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the rear partof a can lacquering machine, and Fig. 6 is a front elevation view of acase of cans showing the forks of my device in section on the line aa ofFig. 1, but retracted, in engagement with the top layer of cans in saidcase.

Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several views. Certainparts are broken away in order to show others hidden thereby.

My device comprises a rectangular, tubular frame consisting of frontmember 1, rear member 1 and end members 1 and 1; rotatable handles 2, 2on frame ends 1 and 1; fork heads 3, 3, 8 3 3 8 slidable on front framemember 1; fork handle slides 3, 3, etc., slidable on rear frame member 1fork handles 3*, 3 etc.; forks 4, 4, etc.; handle Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

Serial No. 180,975.

cranks 6, 6; connecting rods 5, 5, 5, 5 5 and 5 and stop rings 7, 7.

Each of handle cranks 6 has three holes. Connecting rods 5 join forkheads 3 with handle cranks 6 at the inner of said holes, connecting rods5 join fork heads 3 with cranks 6 at the middle holes, and connectingrods 5 join fork heads 3 with cranks 6 at the outer holes. Said holes incranks 6 are cqually spaced and forks 4 are moved by the turning ofhandles 2 toward or from each other distances which vary in arithmeticalproportion. By turning handles 2, 2 inward handle cranks 6, 6 are movedto their dotted positions at 6, 6 Fig. 3 and the six forks 4, 4, etc.are moved toward the center to their dotted positions at 6, 6, etc.,when they are in their retracted positions, and the middle fork heads 3,8 bear on each other. But when said forks are in their protractedpositions, illustrated in full lines, the end fork heads 3 3 bear onstop rings 7 7 To use my device: An operative grasps a handle 2 in eachhand and maintains forks 4 in their protracted position by turninghandles 2, 2 outward as far as they will move; while the forks are inthis relative position they are introduced beneath twelve cans A, A,etc. on the conveyer rollers 8, 8, etc. of a lacquering machine, seeFig. 5; here the tines are associated with rollers 8 and cans A as shownat 4, 4, etc., in Fig. 4. The operative then raises the device, liftingthe group of twelve cans from rollers 8, 8, etc., when cans A appear onforks 4 as in Fig. 1. By turning handles 2 inward the forks are movedtoward each other until cans A touch each other. In this retracted:position of the handler it is carried with said load of cans to case Band the twelve cans placed therein where they make one tier, as in Fig.6, where fork tines 4 are shown in engagement with the upper tier orlayer of cans in said case. After this the retracted carrier forks areremoved from said case and again protracted as before when they may beused to remove another lot of cans from said rollers.

It is apparent that while my carrier is in its retracted form it may beused to pick up cans lying in regular order, sides touching, and carrythem en bloc for placing in any desired location.-

I claim:

In a can handler'in combination, a frame, a plurality of forks, a forkhead rigidly attached to each of said forks, and slidable on said frame,two revo-luble handles, a crank rigidly attached to each of saidhandles, and

a connecting rod between each of said fork 10 heads and one of saidcranks Signed at Bellingham, in the county of lVhatcom and State ofWashington this 12th day. of July, 1917.

LUCIUS o. WALDO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained; for five cents each,by'addressing' the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

